


time and place, here and now

by justlikeswitchblades



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Coming Out, F/M, KNBxNBA, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-15
Updated: 2017-04-15
Packaged: 2018-10-19 07:45:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10635405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justlikeswitchblades/pseuds/justlikeswitchblades
Summary: It's January 2021, and Tatsuya Himuro comes out in a piece forThe Players' Tribune, albeit in his own, mildly evasive way.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [stephanericher](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stephanericher/gifts).



> we...were doing a fic trade once? sorry for the wait, this was stuck in the pipes because i really wanted to get it Right
> 
> going from the canon timeline, where they should be sixteen or so when the manga started publishing in '08, if ive done my math right. this is pretty experimental and indulgent on my part and im both nervous and excited to publish it!! i hope you enjoy it as much as i enjoyed writing it!

_Your parents move to L.A. when you’re seven years old, and after a few months, you don’t remember enough of Japan to miss it like they do. It’s embarrassing how so many people refer to each other by first name, you hear your mother say while preparing dinner one evening, a woman who is educated enough to have known about this far in advance, but is still rattled by culture shock._

_Back in Japan, first name basis suggests intimacy, usually reserved for lovers or best friends or parents, though many names are softened by the use of honorifics still. Here, you’re not Tatsuya-kun, or Tacchan--just Tatsuya. It’s the name your teacher calls you when she praises your expanding English vocabulary, the name your friends yell when they pass to you in your nightly streetball games so you can score another basket, securing another win._

_It’s 1998, and you’d be a fool to not like basketball while living in L.A. Winning is all the Lakers seem to do this season. You get up when your dad gets up for work, turning on SportsCenter to watch highlights, tearing through his newspaper in the morning to get to the sports section, puzzling through the miniscule text to absorb all that you can. ‘Kobe’ and ‘shooting guard’ are two things that you commit to memory--the pickup games you play at your age have little strategy involved, but when the older kids join in, you know you want to learn from them._

_Two years later, another Japanese kid moves into your neighborhood. You still speak the language at home, so you invite him to play basketball--and then you find out he’s never played before. You start to teach him, and he learns fast. You watch the Lakers win the NBA Finals together, and you promise each other that you’ll lift that trophy together someday. But you know you can’t get to the NBA just by playing on street courts. You’re going to need someone who can really teach you how to play the game. Thankfully, you have someone in mind._

_She’s a hard sell, but somehow, you get her to say yes._

_You wake up with your whole body aching most mornings, but it’s not like you to give up that easily. Seeing your friend grow stronger and taller ignites a whole different kind of fire in you, one that rages and scars you but burns all the same. Jealousy consumes you as a teenager, and that makes it even worse, because you know your friend and your mentor don’t think that way. They want you to excel as much as they have, but that’s hard to accept when it feels like he’s stealing your dream out from underneath you._

_He gets picked in the first round of the NBA draft the year he’s eligible; you go to college, and sometimes, it still feels like you’re falling behind. But you get to build your name up, too, and for the first time in a decade, he no longer looms over you. Your ego gets a boost, but you’re older now. Being humble comes easier. You start to work towards forgiveness._

_Years later, you still haven’t gotten to hoist that trophy together, but you’re pretty sure that watching each other win separate championships--and standing on the Olympic podium together--tastes just as sweet. Your mentor is still here for the both of you, even after the two decades of bullshit you’ve put her through._

_You had to practice on your own to get here, but basketball is a team sport, and you wouldn’t be here without these two. They love basketball as much as you do._

_They love basketball as much as they love you. You love them, too._

_Their names are Alex Garcia and Kagami Taiga, a college basketball legend and a legend in the making in their own right. All the announcers flip his name around, but that’s how he first introduced himself all those years ago._

_And that memory will always be special to you._

***

By all accounts, Tatsuya is not a long-winded person. He surprises himself by accepting the invitation to contribute to _The Players’ Tribune_ in the first place, but the prompt to write a letter to his younger self resonates with him and his past. _TPT_ doesn’t usually do letters; the invite to interview and have someone else ghostwrite for him is there. He’s fluent, though, and he cranked out a few essays while working on his degree. He isn’t about to give someone else total control.

He doesn’t mean to come out by the end of it, but when he finishes with his draft, he can’t shake the feeling that it just feels _right_. An hour-long phone call of airing out doubts and entertaining possibilities confirms that Alex and Taiga feel the same way. The front office responds with support--he's been out to the front office and his teammates for a few months now, anyways--and the editors promise to treat his words with care.

The letter drops on a Wednesday morning after a narrow win over the Nets the night before. His wording is a little vague at the end, he supposes, with a look at the questions in his Twitter mentions. He clarifies with a “yes, we’re dating” quote, and proceeds to stay off of social media for the next twelve hours. 

He doesn’t have a game that night, but Taiga does, and the reporters flock to him in the locker room after morning practice. He doesn’t really have the time to look at his phone on game days, either, but from what he’s heard, a photo of them from the 2020 Olympics is circling around. Taiga, caught up in the moment of winning gold for Team USA, is pulling Tatsuya into his arms, kissing the side of his head. It's one of his favorite shots, despite having little memory of it actually happening--perhaps he was just caught up in the moment. But at the same time, he can't say with one-hundred percent confidence that it would've happened if another player had been at his side. So.

“Taiga, are you planning to release a statement on your relationship with Tatsuya Himuro? What about Alexandra Garcia?”

“Uh, yeah,” He laughs, hands on his hips in front of his locker. “It's happening right now.”

“How has the team reacted?”

“I've been out to the guys for two, three months now, and it's been nothing but kindness. Obviously it's a little different from your typical girlfriend-slash-wife situation, but it's been great. I couldn't be happier with the support we've gotten.”

“You’re the first couple to come out together while still playing in the NBA. How does it feel?”

“I don't know,” Taiga laughs again. “Kinda just feels like any other day. I'm excited for the game tonight. Feeling well-rested, and practice went well. I feel good.”

“Why come out now?”

“Why now? I'm starting to ask myself why we didn't do it sooner,” Taiga cracks a grin. “It's not a political thing for me, and we're far away enough from the playoffs so it's not like we're jockeying for attention. Ultimately, you've got three people living in L.A., Chicago, and New York. We don't get to see each other too much during the season. But it'd be nice to be affectionate when we do, if we felt like it, you know?”

“Do you think the NBA has the right infrastructure in place to support gay players?”

“That's a tough one. I know there's a push for diversity, and clearly, as someone who’s Japanese, I know what it's like to feel supported on that end. But I know how ugly it can get, too, even now.

“I don't fully identify as gay. Not straight either; it's hard to find the right label. And I don't know if I can speak to the franchise as a whole,” He shrugs. “I remember a lot of slurs being thrown around when I played in high school. We don't play like that here. We evaluate teams based on how they play, not player character. Since my first day with this organization, there’s been no tolerance for that kind of language in the locker room. I'm proud of the Bulls for that.”

“What about your game with the Knicks in two weeks? Do you think you'll go any easier on Tatsuya because of it?”

“Hell no--he'd break up with me if I did!” He grins at the laughter from the press. “I wouldn't put it past him to consider it, at least. He's the one who taught me how to play, and he's always been my motivation to become stronger. I play the hardest I can against him because of how much I respect him. Honestly, I can't wait.”

***

There’s too much room for her words to be misinterpreted over email, and phone still leaves out body language, so Alex agrees to meet with the _Times_ reporter over coffee. She’s happy to be social, but is able to relax a little more when the woman gives her business card. Rebecka Tyler--Alex has read her recaps of Clippers games online before.

“It seems like a lot of people are focusing on the relationship between Taiga and Tatsuya. Are you feeling left out at all?”

“I don't mind being able to go about my life as usual,” Alex laughs, taking a sip of her latte. “I had a pretty good feeling that a lot of the focus would be on them. They seem to be handling it well, though, and the amount of support they've received, from fans and the franchise--I couldn't be happier for them.”

“You might not be as recognizable a name, but you do still work as an assistant coach for UCLA. Were there any worries about your job when it came to coming out?”

Alex shakes her head. “I came out as a lesbian way back when I was playing on the team myself, and I still identify that way. Maybe I have a little more job security now that people know I'm with two men,” She wonders out loud with a touch of sarcasm. “But I'll be honest--I've gotten some head coach offers, and I've hesitated to pursue them because of this. Queerness is almost assumed to be the default in women's sports. Meanwhile, there are very few visible men at the professional level. I didn’t want anyone to find out when Taiga and Tatsuya weren’t ready for it.”

“Well, it is the three of you in a relationship, after all. Someone's bound to give you flak.”

“That, the age difference, people saying we aren't gay or straight enough for their liking, you name it. We're not about to get married or anything, though, so it's not like anyone's justified in saying what have is illegal.”

“Going back to talking about work for a second: how has UCLA reacted?”

“Good! Good. With Taiga and I as alums, we'd love to get involved. Maybe something with You Can Play, maybe an initiative of our own-- it's still up in the air, of course.”

“How do you navigate a relationship with three people, with all of you being visible figures in the world of basketball? How'd it get started?”

“I've known them since they were kids. Watching them go through puberty, grow up--it was more than a little weird to think about. They're my students, and part of them always will be, but it was hard to reconcile that with the idea of seeing them as adults, especially ones that I'd be interested in dating. Even when we agreed to try this out a few years ago, I felt like I knew a lot more about them than I let them know about me. Opening up to two people you trust is easier than doing so with someone you run into on the street, but it's still a hurdle.

“And when we got serious about it, that came with its challenges, too. Like, I have a life out here in L.A.--moving in with one of them in Chicago or New York might be nice, but would it be fair to the other? Things like that. I don't think we're any different from any other couple, though. We talk and we skype and we text, we fight and make up. There just happen to be three of us.”

***

The plane rises into the air, and as the cabin lights dim, Tatsuya hears a familiar theme start to play in the row of seats across from him. He’s tempted to hum along, and closes his eyes, listening, not sure what to entertain himself with for the next two hours just yet.

“We have diversity in the NBA. It's probably the only sport in America where black men dominate the talent pool and white people don't seem to mind. Yao Ming, Jeremy Lin, the Japanese Renaissance brought on by players like Taiga Kagami, Tatsuya Himuro, and Daiki Aomine--we're continuing to diversify along the color spectrum. But we don't have any kind of foundation for LGBT kids in the NBA, or any professional sport. Initiatives from outside organizations and for the people we hire, sure, but can we say we have something in place for the players when they need it?”

“How do you put something like that in place, though? What does it even look like? I don't want to put a basketball in a gay kid’s hands and tell him to play because he's gay. I want that kid to play because he loves the game.”

“Dude, for the last time, _headphones,_ ” Reed buts in over the audio, jerking his head Tatsuya’s way. “And try to read the room next time, won't you?”

“Oh, shit,” Vaitkus’ Lithuanian accent bursts out loud in the semi-quiet, blue eyes widening at Tatsuya across the aisle. “Many apologies, I did not mean--”

“No, you're good,” Tatsuya offers a placating smile. “That actually sounded pretty interesting. Can I take a look?”

Vaitkus nods, handing his iPad over. Tatsuya sets it up on his tray table, resting his cheek against his fist, contemplative as he watches. A few minutes later, he unplugs his headphones and hands it back. His teammates look at him expectantly, then start to apologize.

“I mean, they've got valid points,” Tatsuya shrugs. “There's no explicit protocol if you want to come out, or if someone outs you. But I'm not sure what would be enough. I didn't start thinking about sexuality until college, really. I wasn't thinking about it when I started playing.”

“Huh. Well, if anything,” A grin sprawls across Reed’s lips. “Made some bank off all those new sponsorship deals, huh?”

Tatsuya grins back. “Hell yeah.”

***

It doesn't feel different from any other home game, at first. Tatsuya opts to stay with the team at the hotel, rather than Taiga’s apartment--they're playing the Pacers tomorrow evening--so Taiga heads to United Center as usual, _Illmatic_ playing quietly out of his car speakers, McDonald's hamburger marinating in a paper bag in the passenger seat until he pulls into the parking lot. It's not until he heads out onto the court for warmups that he sees it--the fans filling in, blue jerseys scattered amongst the sea of red, and more than a few rainbow flags. Ten at most, maybe. It's nothing like the pride parade the team walked in a few summers ago, but it still makes him pause.

_Oh._

Tatsuya’s on the other half of the court, and Taiga’s so focused on jogging around and making his shots that he nearly forgets to look. But when he does, heading to get some water, he sees that Tatsuya is just the same, eyes fixed on the hoop as he nets a free throw.

Taiga smiles. He wouldn't have it any other way.

The Knicks’ center has an inch on him at tip-off, but Taiga’s jump is no joke, and he takes it down the court, only for the ball to get caught up, stolen from their shooting guard as he goes for a pass.

They match each other basket for basket throughout the first quarter, with the Knicks starting to crawl ahead. But the Bulls come back with the rebound, and a three, and then Taiga seals it with a dunk, the crowd roaring in time with the buzzer. He lands back on solid ground; Tatsuya grins.

At the beginning of the second, his counter is swift. He uses that one shot of his that makes the ball disappear, and even Taiga blinks, unable to react fast enough. Their defensive core tightens up, and his mark stays on him so well he draws a foul. His cheeks start to hurt, though--he's lost track of how long he’s been smiling by now.

Tatsuya is subbed out five minutes before halftime, and he's still there halfway through the third. The Bulls pull ahead and widen their lead, but Taiga is starting to feel drained, the squeal of his shoes on the floor sounding like an extension of his own body. He's finally sat out, and he comes back for the last two minutes in the fourth quarter. But the Knicks have caught up, and their rookie nabs a breakaway at the end, and thus, the upset. 

The handshake line is tired, but civil. Taiga and Tatsuya reach each other at the end, and the crowd revives itself with a cheer. Tatsuya makes a small, pleased sound, one that he tends to make whenever his ego is gently massaged, easy for Taiga to pick out amongst the postgame music blaring. A flag flutters to the floor near them. Taiga steps to pick it up, and offers it his way.

“Photo op?”

“Mm,” Tatsuya weighs the possibility with a slight tilt of his head, gaze flitting to the ring around Taiga’s neck. “Let's wait for Alex, at the All Star Game.”

“I wanna kiss you so bad,” Taiga smiles through a sigh, bumping Tatsuya’s offered fist with his own. “But I’ll let you test my patience for now.”

**Author's Note:**

> [inspiration](https://www.theplayerstribune.com/henrik-lundqvist-letter-to-my-younger-self/) (bc of course it comes back to hockey) and this piece from collins is a thing of beauty, too
> 
> managed to keep from tweeting about this, even when i imagined taiga giving a locker room interview in a shirt that said 'bulls hockey'...i hope writing in tatsuya's voice reads in-character....we haven't really talked about coming out with these three so im excited to hear your thoughts!!


End file.
